- 5.0 cu.ft. Capacity
- 5 Sealed Gas Cooktop Burners
- Electronic Ignition System
- Available in Premium Stainless Steel finish
- SmoothTouch Controls
We ordered the LRG30855ST, which is the top line model (one up from this one) of LG's Kitchen series. This was after much research. We'd originally ordered a professional-grade DCS range, only to find out later that the knobs and front panel got very hot when the oven was on. We have a 9-month-old in the house, so that option was out. KitchenAid and Bosch models were also interesting, but neither had a very good reliability record. KitchenAids were really expensive to repair, and apparently needed repairs quite often. The Bosch models also had hot spot problems.
LG delivered the wrong range we got the LRG30355ST instead, but we were able to keep it for a couple of weeks while they shipped out the correct range. The 303 we ordered came in black, and looked great. Stainless is very sturdy and professional looking, but is really hard to keep clean scratches easily, and fingerprints look terrible. I do a lot of cooking, so black was much easier to keep looking good.
The 303 does not come with convection, regardless of what the other reviewer said--it also does not have the temperature probe, and the grates are a different finish. Other than that, the two models are very similar, and frankly, unless you are going to rely heavily on your convection, I'd recommend the 303 over the 308. Both are attractive ranges, have great build quality, the front knobs and surfaces stay cool (even the window) for curious kids, (all ranges these days have the anti-tip device, so that's not an issue) and for the extra money, you could go pretty far towards buying a hood.
Both have a nice, big, insulated view window, and a bright, well-placed light.
Both have a very accurate temp control.
Both have a large capacity oven, and cook quite evenly (even the non-convection). Convection is great for cooking a lot of food at once, so the efficiency is wonderful. It is not "true" or "European" convection on the 308, though--basically, the fan just blows the hot air around, eliminating hot spots in the oven. True convection has a heating element in the actual fan, so it blasts the food with superheated air, giving you very fast and efficient searing. Maybe the LG electric range has it dunno. Convection on the 308 gas range works fine though. I baked several racks of cookies at once as a test, and they all came out great without needing to be turned. One thing I did notice is that while very crisp, convection does not brown as well as non-convection, so that's something I'll have to adjust to. Fortunately both LG ranges have great broilers (2 heat settings).
One safety issue regarding the 303 though the grates are enameled cast iron, so pans tend to slide really easily on them. So if you catch a pot handle on your clothing walking by, it could slip.
Both ranges have five burners, and the big one has "Super Boil," ( I think it's 16K BTUs max) meaning you can crank a massive amount of gas through it for boiling water quickly. It's also a Super Wide burner though, so unless you have a 12" or wider pot, all that heat is going to go around, not under, what you're trying to heat. The small burners (2 of them) are great for stocks, melting, and other very low heat applications.
Cooktop space, though, can be an issue. Bad enough trying to fit five big pots side-by-side on the cook top, (though it's actually pretty good for a 30" range), but there is also a guard lip that protrudes from beneath the panel. This protects the electronics in the back panel, but it also sticks out far enough so that any pan higher than a can iron skillet will not fit over the two back burners properly. High-sided saucepots have to stay forward, which is fine, since the two front burners are the largest anyway, but something to consider for big dinners.
Finally, both ranges have issues with the electronics panel. It's very slick, brightly lit, easy to use and clean, and the beeps are not annoying (and you can program them to go away, to a certain extent), but if you live in an area with a lot of electrical surges, lightning, blackouts, whatever, these panels are prone to getting zapped. No room to put an Uninterrupted Power Supply back there for backup, so if you zap it, it's done. May not be an issue for you, but living near Boulder, Colorado, it was worth it for me to get to get the 4-yr warranty.
In summary:
Pros: Great performing and looking range; fit and finish, appearance, safety, noise, reliability were all outstanding. I'll take this LG over Dacor, Wolf, KitchenAid, DCS, or any of the other high-end ranges available. Having cooked on both, I probably would have gotten the 303 over the 308. I can live without the convection and the temp probe, and I don't think the 308 comes in black, so now I have to spend more time cleaning the stainless parts. But the bare cast iron grates are great.
Cons: The 303 has slippery grates, either model has cooktop space limited by the heat guard, and panel electronics are susceptible to power surges or lightning strikes, if that's an issue in your area.
Buy LG Lrg30355st 5.0 Cu. Ft. Gas Range With 5 Burners Warming Drawer Smoothtouch Controls Stainless St Now
The LG kitchen series is just plain beautiful. The oven works great and is also used as a convection oven. The timer can be used with or with out the use of the stove top or oven. We purchased this with the matching microwave and have been enjoying cooking again. The grates on the hob are continuous so pots can be moved without lifting. This is very handy with cast iron cookware. If you are looking for a range that will knock you socks off, this is it.
Have had this fridge for 6 years and it's still running AMAZING.
